ATHLETICS: Kenyan Long-Distance Runner Banned For FOUR Years
Bernard Koech, a long-distance runner, is the latest Kenyan runner to get a doping ban from the Athletics Integrity Unit.
The judgment was confirmed on Thursday, February 5, with the AIU claiming that an inquiry indicated he may have used fake drugs in his performances.
According to the AIU, Koech’s blood profile exhibited a distinct, anomalous trend over time that impartial specialists indicated could not be explained by normal training, illness, altitude exposure, or supplements.
The first critical findings from the study came weeks before the 2024 Olympic Games, when three blood tests from the athlete raised concerns.
🇰🇪 Kenya’s Benard Kibet Koech, who finished 5th in the Paris 2024 Olympic 10,000m final, has been disqualified and banned until June 2029 after the AIU found abnormalities in his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).
— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) February 5, 2026
The case centered on a cluster of blood values from late June to… https://t.co/5zv1hoJGr9
The first sample had raised haemoglobin levels, whilst another sample had abnormally high outliers for both haemoglobin and other hormones.
In January 2025, a team of three independent specialists analyzed Koech’s anonymized biological data and unanimously declared that blood doping was “highly likely”.
Following the review, the AIU formally notified Koech that he had been charged with an Adverse Passport Finding and urged him to offer an explanation before any further disciplinary action was taken.
The athlete denied using illegal substances and offered a last-ditch argument, claiming an acute COVID-19 illness that began on June 30, 2024.
During this time, the athlete claims to have been given an aggressive course of oral supplementation.
He further argued that the combined psychological stress from the illness, iron intake and altitude exposure could have played a part in the blood abnormalities detected in his passport.
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However, the Expert Panel rejected this explanation in a second review, noting that the rise in haemoglobin began before the alleged COVID-19 infection.
In a ruling, the Disciplinary Tribunal maintained that it was satisfied that World Athletics had proven the violation to the required standard, effectively dismissing Koech’s COVID-19 defence.
A final decision was issued on January 29, slapping Koech – who holds a world best performance in road running for the 10-mile distance, the fastest time ever recorded for that event – with a four-year ban.
This was the latest setback for a talented Kenyan runner, coming just weeks after marathon champion Albert Korir had been provisionally suspended.
ATHLETICS: Kenyan Long-Distance Runner Banned For FOUR Years
